CHANNEL 10's banking on the success of homegrown drama to lure viewers back to the network with another new series heading into production.

First it was Wonderland, starring Brooke Satchwell and Jessica Tovey, now Secrets and Lies, a thriller set in Brisbane, began filming this week.

New Zealand actor Martin Henderson plays the lead role of Ben Gundelach, a man who discovers the body of a dead boy and finds himself the prime suspect in his murder.

It's Henderson's first job back in Australia in 15 years after he relocated to the US and worked with Naomi Watts in The Ring and Cate Blanchett in Little Fish. He says it was the meatiness of the role which lured him back.

``It's fun to be finally back here,'' he says. ``I was chomping at the bit to get down here to do it.

``It's nice emotional stuff you can really get into and it's really well written. All the characters are really well-formed, very relatable and regular people.''